University of Alaska system spokeswoman Kate Ripley says adding graduate programs would require an analysis of student demand and the work force needed to staff both schools.

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Dear Rep. Scott Kawasaki,

Please leave well enough alone. Your state has a relatively small and wealthy population. Don't you like it that way? Adding a bunch of poor law grads won't make legal fees more affordable--it will glut your legal system with malpractice cases and leave many Alaskans with below par legal representation. You will have an influx of law students to your state that will bring down the median income upon graduating. They will have no real skills to contribute to the Alaskan Economy. I can see through your lies, Mr. Representative. You obviously want a cash cow in the state, but I hope that you will be able to live with the repercussions of your actions. It's one thing to hear about homeless crazies dying in the harsh Alaskan cold--but a whole different thing to deal with the over-educated and underemployed law school grads taxing your meager welfare system. Think better of this whole plan. There isn't a state in the Nation that needs a law school. Your state is better for not having one.

Scott Kawalski apparently does not realize that people go to Alaska. As J-Dog noted on his blog, places such as Wyoming and South Dakota have flagship state law schools, which have been in place for decades and have a nice alumi base.

Speaking of Palin, the moron went to SIX toilet universities before finally "earning" her Communications degree.

I'm of two minds here. On one hand The fact that Alaska doesn't have a law school suggests that they need one (But probably not two).On the other hand, the fact that Alaska has been in business for 60 years and still doesn't have a law school suggests that they don't need one afterall.

At any rate, because law school 'prestige', Coupled with the fact that law school is not really teaching people to practice law, creates a rigid hierarchy, any Alaska law school won't be seen as T14 material. They would be lucky to avoid having a profile on Third Tier Reality.

You are confused, as I didn't say there was a "need" to have a college degree, nor did I make that claim for all public offices, nor do I think a college degree signifies anything in particular. In fact, I would advise my own children NOT to go to college right now.

What I wrote was strictly related to the fact that if THIS ONE PERSON was able to win multiple elections, there must be a dearth of seemingly-qualified candidates and/or educated voters in Alaska.

Also, @11:33, the fact that Alaska does not have a law school in no way suggests their need for one. For example, say Illinois does not have an advanced college program in marine biology. There may be a need for marine biologists in Illinois, but there is no need for such a college program. Same with Alaska and lawyers, it's just that idiots like Scott Kawasaki think there's some prestige in growing your own lawyers.

This is indirectly related to this post, but I just watched CNBC’s “Price of Admissiion” which warns of the coming crises in student loans. It came to me as I was watching this that the leftists that run our universities are actually the best damn capitalists that have ever walked the face of the earth. I was also reminded of Shakespere. you know, his line that “I think the lady doth protest too much.” Well, for all of their ranting about the evils of capitalism, they’ve surely feathered their nests nicely. You have to wonder about people who spew such venom toward the capitalistic approach. Are they just trying to distract attention from the cozy perks they’s gotton from it???

Just let the state award full scholarships to three state residents to start law school and ten to start medical school every year on the condition that they come back to the state to practice X years and the state will have all the lawyers and doctors it needs for 1/100 of the cost.

8:12 pm. Your statements rings true with me and remind me of a partner in a firm that I used to work for. He was a communist. He would be the first to refuse to go a restaurant owned by Israelis because of how they treated the Palestinians. He skipped out on a many an afternoon to fight the war. But when it came to raises and bonuses, he was cheap as can be. However, none of his political leanings kept him from living an opulent life on the upper west side of manhattan or kept him away from his vacation home in the Carib. I guess he was a communist when he felt like it... but while Capitalism was alive and well--he took FULL advantage of it. Disgusting. I hate republicans and democrats alike because of their lack of consistency. No welfare for big corps. Education for all, but no need to shackle people for life. Whatever. So frustrating.

1) No one makes someone take out student loans. Everyone had the option of not going to college, working and going part time, or working first then going with savings. The reason you didn't do that is because that is not the type of job you wanted.

2) This is probably the correct answer for the state's budget though: "Just let the state award full scholarships to three state residents to start law school and ten to start medical school every year on the condition that they come back to the state to practice X years and the state will have all the lawyers and doctors it needs for 1/100 of the cost."

Completely agree that Alaska needs a law school about as much as I need more holes in my head (tell that to my 13 piercings) but it would be hard to suggest that a school of medicine would be superfluous. Right now the University of Washington SOM covers all of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Medical students in their first two years study far removed from the central hospitals where they will train in their last 2 years - and this in one of the most medically underserved parts of the country. Employment opportunities for MDs - at least those in the realms of General Practice, Pediatrics, Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine - are beyond rosy almost everywhere. Alaska specifically is offering as high as $300k/year for newly minted EM grads trained in other parts of the country to relocate and work there. It would behoove the area significantly to train their own to treat their own.

However, in contrast to law schools, medical schools are in general a money suck, not a cash cow. It takes far more financial resources to train an MD than the $60k/year pricetag would suggest.

If Alaska really wants to make some cash off of higher education, they should start a B-school.

Thanks for your blog - it's important that there are some people who are willing to expose the broken promises for what they are.

Alaska does not need a law school. Every few years there is a study done on this issue and every time they come to the same conclusion: Alaska does not need a law school, for various reasons. Starting a new school is expensive. Qualified instructors are difficult to attract in any discipline in Alaska, let alone law. Alaskans (such as myself) are already perfectly willing to go out of state for a crappy and expensive legal education. There are plenty of mediocre lawyers up here already (and a few excellent ones). An Alaskan law school would not attract very many out-of-state students. The U of Alaska is not an acclaimed institution and a law school there would instantly settle in comfortably in the 4th tier range. Who would bother? Alaska already has a B-school. What we need is to expand the engineering school and the nursing school.